


Birthday Surprises

by Aerica_Menai



Series: Ace of Hearts [3]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, Misunderstandings, ace!shinichi, slight crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:13:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21671257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerica_Menai/pseuds/Aerica_Menai
Summary: Shinichi thought he was done with coming out...then his parents came home for his birthday.
Relationships: Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan & Kudou Yukiko & Kudou Yuusaku, Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan/Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid
Series: Ace of Hearts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1503134
Kudos: 109





	Birthday Surprises

**Author's Note:**

> This...pretty much came out of nowhere. But it demanded to be written, and so here it is - hope you enjoy!
> 
> Beta'd by the ever-incredible @grayraincurtain <3

After his experience coming out to Hattori, telling the rest of his social circle was supposed to be much easier.

He had been most worried about Haibara and Professor Agasa, but once he explained that his asexuality had nothing to do with cell division – only sexual attraction – the professor just shrugged. Haibara wondered out loud if his time as Conan could have affected him even after taking the antidote – at which Shinichi retorted that they both knew very well that the antidote had nothing to do with it. Kaito’s glare told her to drop the subject or she’d suffer his wrath.

Haibara merely snorted. “Call off your guard dog, I didn’t mean any offense,” she drawled. “Just scientific curiosity.”

Shinichi just rolled his eyes. “Alright you two, behave. You know Haibara didn’t mean it, Kaito – and Haibara, stop yanking Kaito’s chain just because you can.” 

They both grumbled but parted without further confrontation. “And no, Kaito,” Shinichi spoke up as they left, “you can’t commit any sort of revenge anyway. She was just doing it to mess with you – *I’m* not offended – so there’s no point in avenging my honor or whatever. Okay?”

“Fine,” Kaito grumbled. “Ruin all my fun.”

***

Ran just raised her eyebrow when Shinichi told her. “I can’t say I knew the term for it, but it’s not news to me,” she said kindly. “I’ve known you far too long for there to be many surprises left. I do appreciate you telling me just in case it had slipped by me,” she continued, patting his hand sympathetically. Shinichi sighed; he should have known. He hadn’t been able to keep any secrets from Ran pre-Conan, and the only reason he had managed to keep that under wraps for as long as he did was the sheer impossibility of the truth.

In the end, Hattori was (unsurprisingly) the loose cannon. He accidentally spilled the beans to Kazuha (acceptable) and then to Hakuba (annoying, but then again Shinichi should have known better). Hakuba, the bastard, promptly spilled his guts to Aoko, who hadn’t been warned and told Sonoko.

After that, it was out. Sonoko was a gossip with no regards for boundaries or privacy – within days, the police force knew, Sonoko’s family knew, Kogorou knew; to Shinichi, it seemed like everyone knew.

Then some annoying teen magazine published an article based off information from an “anonymous source” close to “the Great Detective of the East,” with a byline blaring how said source wanted readers to know that Shinichi “wasn’t interested in relationships.” The article clarified that Shinichi was already in a relationship and “not interested in sex” – information that Sonoko swore she hadn’t meant to reveal to a reporter, she thought she had just been making conversation with a fellow club-goer – but the far more damning byline did its work well, sending a scarily large portion of the Tokyo population into a tizzy and even attracting the attention of far more wide-reaching news outlets. The spotlight was searing while it lasted (prompting attacks by sobbing fangirls, probing questions by sneering passersby and jealous coworkers, not to mention the good-natured but grating teasing from friends), but luckily it blew over within the month.

At least, it did for Shinichi. Hattori and Hakuba received bright purple hair for two weeks after Sonoko started spreading the rumors personally; after the magazine incident, Kaito snapped. The two detectives woke up to prosthetics, makeup and hair dye that added thirty years to their age and couldn’t be removed for almost three whole days; Sonoko received the punishment of waking up to finding her entire shoujo manga collection – including some irreplaceable volumes! – feeding a merrily burning (small) bonfire on her balcony, plus an ominously cutesy message scrawled in pink lipstick on her bathroom mirror: Might be a good idea to learn how to keep a secret, ne? 

(Shinichi couldn’t get Sonoko to admit there was a KID signature that she erased, but he heavily suspected. Kaito was nothing if not vindictive and knowing of his victim’s weak points.)

So, at the end of all that, Shinichi figured there wasn’t any more coming out to do – everyone he could think of that he knew had been informed (even Jodie-sensei and the FBI agents in America had called to ask him about the article!), not to mention his fanbase and anyone else who read that magazine or watched the news that month. There was no one left to tell, and despite how it had happened, Shinichi was relieved there were no more reactions to worry over.

Then his parents came home for his birthday.

***

Shinichi was surprised at his parents’ visit - but not as surprised as his parents at finding Shinichi cuddling on the couch with Toichi Kuroba’s son. “Shinichi! You didn’t tell us you were dating! Or that you knew Toichi’s son! Or that you were *dating* Toichi’s son!” his mother shrieked.

His father just raised an eyebrow at the scene before them. Shinichi frowned. “I thought you always kept up on what the news was saying about me?”

His mother and father both stared at him. “You mean that nonsense about you not being interested in relationships, from an anonymous source?” His mother’s tinkling laugh rang out, and Shinichi’s stomach dropped. “We ignored that, figured it was just another faker trying to make a buck.”

“It was Sonoko, actually,” Shinichi mumbled. (Neither Shinichi nor his mother saw his father start to frown, as though he was rethinking something, but Kaito did.)

“Sonoko gave the magazine that story? But – ” His mother gestured almost helplessly at where Kaito and Shinichi were entangled. “That’s clearly not true?”

“I mean yeah, the byline was – confused! But, the article – ” And Shinichi went abruptly silent.

“The article…what?” Yukiko asked sharply. 

Shinichi shook his head mutely, not meeting her eyes. 

“Hit…a little too close to home, let’s say,” Kaito finally murmured. He held up a hand. “And don’t worry, Suzuki-san has been thoroughly dealt with. As for the article’s content – ”

“I think, at the moment, is none of our business,” Shinichi’s father interrupted. 

“Yuusaku!” his wife shrieked, before quieting at his glare.

“Look at him,” he murmured, shifting his wife so she faced the couch instead of her husband. Shinichi was pale, sweating slightly, glassy-eyed and squeezing his boyfriend’s hand; he was scared, and it broke Yukiko’s heart to realize he was scared of *them.* His parents. So like Yuusaku, she sucked it up and let Shinichi have his space. (She cried after they got into their room and closed the door. Yuusaku would never tell.) 

***

Back in the family room, Shinichi wasn’t doing much better than his mother. He had curled up, face buried in the cushions of one couch corner. Kaito covered him with a blanket and cuddled in close; there wasn’t much more to do until the detective decided to emerge. He was overwhelmed and needed to adjust; the best Kaito could do was stay close and be patient. Which paid off when Shinichi uncurled much earlier than Kaito had expected, taking only half an hour. “That…could have gone a lot better,” his boyfriend groaned. 

Kaito shrugged. “Could have gone a lot worse, too,” he said pragmatically. “You’re two hot-headed people, your mom could have accidentally said something much worse that she’d regret later, but your dad stopped her.” 

Shinichi was quiet for a second. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said softly. “I wish this hadn’t been an issue, but it could have been worse.”

“So chin up! All you have to do now is face your fears and tell your parents!” Kaito cheered.

Shinichi slumped back down onto the couch. “Don’t wanna,” he groaned into the cushions.

“I don’t think you have much of a choice now that your mom’s gotten involved,” Kaito replied apologetically. “If you don’t tell her, she might try to find out for herself – reading the article, calling the reporter…maybe even calling Sonoko.”

Shinichi shot upright. “Okay, yeah, that would be bad.” He sighed. “I’ll tell them over dinner.”

***

Dinner was a calm affair, at least to start. Shinichi and his father discussed Shinichi’s latest cases and his father’s latest novel ideas; his mother and Kaito were discussing fashion tips and disguise techniques (…with a slightly alarming fervor). There were no finny things to disrupt the meal (at Shinichi’s discreet request) and Shinichi allowed himself to be lulled into a false sense of security, that this dinner would end as calmly as it had gone so far. 

He should have known better.

After dinner, his mother declared that she had a surprise gift for him and Kaito. Kaito eagerly took it and started to tear off the wrapping paper; Shinichi was much more hesitant but still curious. Then the last of the paper came off, revealing…a luridly-colored set of sex toys, with “flavored lube included!” the packaging blared. 

Shinichi immediately flung his hands over his eyes, as though the image wasn’t permanently burned into his brain. “Mom! What the hell!” he screeched, feeling his face turn bright red. He could hear Kaito making choked sounds next to him, but without the visual he couldn’t tell if the choking was from badly-hidden laughter, embarrassment, horror or some mixture of the three. 

Before he could peek, he heard his mom sigh and mutter jokingly, “You’d think dating Kai-chan would have helped him overcome some of his prudishness,” to her husband. And even though Shinichi knew his mom was joking, knew that she never would have said anything if she knew how much it hurt, knew that on some level she was entirely correct – none of that stopped the flinch and the slow, prickling burn of shame. He kept his eyes closed, hoping against hope that his father wouldn’t notice, when Kaito spoke up.

***

Kaito saw Shinichi flinch, and knew Yukiko-san’s words cut deeper than she might ever realize. So it was time to step up to the plate.

“Actually, Yukiko-san, while we…appreciate, the gift,” Kaito set it aside gingerly, “It’s not something we’d end up using.” 

“What? Really?” she frowned.

“Yeah. I, uh…don’t enjoy the whole sex thing.” Kaito waved a hand airily. 

Yuusaku-san’s eyes narrowed, and Yukiko-san just sputtered. 

“Yep, it’s just not my thing, and so I’d appreciate you returning these.” Kaito scooted the offending items back across the table.

“But – but – the flirting! The touching!”

Kaito shrugged. “Action doesn’t equal attraction – it’s a good cover, even if it’s fake.” 99% true, he thought to himself, stealing a glance at Shinichi. 

“And – you’ve gone to the doctor’s? Gotten tested for – ”

“For what?” Kaito snapped, as he saw Shinichi sink deeper into the couch out of the corner of his eye. “For them to tell me to take medication, to fix what they think is broken about me, so I can fit the mold of a virile young man in his twenties, primed and ready to fuck?” He took a deep breath. “No,” he continued more calmly, “I haven’t. And I don’t plan to. I’m fine, I’m just asexual.”

Yuusaku-san started to ask, “Like – ” but Kaito cut him off.

“It just means I’m not sexually attracted to people. I’m still interested in romantic relationships – ” He reached back to squeeze Shinichi’s sweaty hand. “ – but without the sexual component. I told Shinichi before we started dating, there wasn’t any sort of bait and switch, or whatever other awful things you might be thinking,” he growled as Yuusaku-san’s face grew dark.

But before either of them could say anything else, Yukiko-san turned to Shinichi, who still had his face buried in his hands, and asked, “And you, Shinichi? You’re really okay with being in a relationship like that? Denying yourself for your partner?”

Kaito practically heard Shinichi’s patience snap; his seeker of truth couldn’t stand the lie any longer. “Actually, Mom, Kaito’s the one denying himself for *me,* *I’m* the asexual one in this relationship. Every day I ask myself why he’s settled for me, when he could have a full partner, one who isn’t – isn’t *lacking,* like me.” He took a breath. “But he says he loves me, that I’m perfect just the way I am – and sometimes, most times, I can believe him. Until something like this happens, and I’m left thinking that I must be broken all over again,” he chuckled bitterly. 

The room went silent at that, everyone reeling and absorbed in their own painful thoughts, until Shinichi’s phone rang. He checked the screen. “It’s Hattori,” he croaked. “I’ll – uh – I should take this.” And he hurried out of the room.

***

Shinichi’s parents looked like they were in shock – although, Kaito had to admit, that conversation had been quite the whiplash. 

Yuusaku-san was tapping away on his phone – probably researching, Kaito realized; he must be where Shinichi got it from. 

Yukiko-san, on the other hand, was just wringing her hands and staring off into space – and Kaito could already tell that silence from Yukiko Kudo was not a good sign. “Yukiko-san,” he finally asked. “Do you have any questions you want to ask me?”

She whispered, “When – when did Shin-chan find out about asexuality?”

Kaito sighed. “Not until right before we started dating – so, eight months ago now?”

“My baby’s been thinking he was broken for most of his life?”

“I mean – ” Kaito scrubbed at his face. “I’ve really been trying to change his mind on that. But between Hattori’s first reaction, about three months ago now, and tonight – there’s definitely been a number of setbacks. Sonoko outing him in that magazine, accidentally or not, definitely didn’t help either.”

“She WHAT?” Yukiko-san yelped, outraged.

“Don’t worry, I dealt with her,” Kaito replied with a razor-sharp grin.

Yukiko-san huffed, “You better have,” before slumping back into her chair. “So I can’t avenge Shin-chan’s honor, *and* I keep putting my foot in my mouth!” she sniffed. “I’m such a horrible mother!”

“Okay, first off,” Kaito snorted, “Just because you and Shinichi have some communication issues does *not* make you a horrible mother. Hattori-san made his own ignorant comments, and Shinichi forgave him, just like he’ll forgive you. Just apologize, *mean* it, and perhaps do some research beforehand. Which I assume your husband has already started to do,” Kaito said, turning to face the distracted author. 

Yukiko-san gave him a sharp nudge and Yuusaku-san looked up from his phone, blinking confusedly. “What are you reading? Share,” Yukiko-san ordered, scooting closer. 

Kaito left them to their research and went to check on Shinichi.

***

Shinichi was unhappy but unsurprised to hear his own voice sounded choked up when he answered Hattori’s call. He was met with silence for a second, then a growled threat. “Is Kuroba making you cry?” 

Shinichi snorted wetly. “No. I was actually...well. Not fighting exactly, but having an intense discussion with my parents. It turns out that they never read the article about me, and Mom was her usual overly-involved self and bought me and Kaito – ” Shinichi grimaced at the memory. “ – freaking sex toys.” 

Hattori groaned.

“Yeah,” Shinichi chuckled bitterly, “and it gets worse. Kaito saw how uncomfortable I was, so he decided to tell them that *he* was ace, and that’s why we were refusing the gift and then…” Shinichi trailed off. “Well. My parents can be overprotective on the best of days, and in this case that translated to saying a number of rude things to Kaito that just – hit too close to home, so I blew up.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “So now that you’re all caught up on my so-far train wreck of a birthday, why did you actually call?”

Hattori hesitated. “Well, I guess it seems more like salt in the wound now, but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”

Despite himself, Shinichi smiled. “Well, your call couldn’t have come at more perfect time to get me out of that conversation, so painful or not, thank you.”

“No problem,” Hattori replied. “But don’t you think you should give your parents a chance to apologize, rather than walking out on them? I wasn’t too kind myself, when I had the subject dropped in my lap – and you forgave me.”

“I know,” Shinichi sighed. “And it’s not like I’m really leaving, I just…needed some space for a bit. I don’t really know how they’re going to react, and it’s making me…antsy. Anxious. What do I even say after I shouted at them like that?” He scrubbed a hand over his face.

“Well,” an unexpected voice spoke up, “You could just let them apologize and not say anything.” Shinichi whirled around to find Kaito standing right behind him. “Kaito! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“Oh, Kuroba’s there? Cool. You’re probably going to start ignoring me any second now, so – OI. KUROBA.” Hattori shouted. 

Shinichi pulled the phone away from his ear. “Ow, Hattori, was that really necessary?” Shinichi grumbled as Kaito took the phone from him. 

His boyfriend listened to what the Osakan detective had to say, nodding and tapping his fingers absently. “Yep, yep, I can do that. Thanks, Hattori!” Kaito chirped before hanging up the phone. 

“What was he saying to you?” Shinichi asked suspiciously as Kaito snuggled up behind him and slid Shinichi’s phone back in his pocket. 

“Nothing I didn’t already know~” Kaito sang, hooking his chin on his boyfriend’s shoulder. He sobered. “But seriously, your mom feels really bad – and I’m sure your dad does too, even if he doesn’t quite know how to show it. You don’t even need to apologize, or say anything, just – let them talk to you, now that they have some context and a little time to think. Okay?”

Shinichi hesitated, but he did finally let Kaito nudge him into walking back towards the family room, where his parents sprang upright from where they had been leaning over a phone screen. Silently he sat down in front of them, Kaito plastered to his side. 

His father, surprisingly spoke first. “We owe you a huge apology, Shinichi. Not only did we say some pretty insulting things, according to what we read, but, even before that - we didn’t trust that you were an adult, that your choice of partner and relationship isn’t something we should interfere with.” He paused. “Well. Maybe some interference. But in this case, we overstepped, and we’re sorry. Right?” 

His mother nodded hurriedly. “Of course! And…” She started to tear up. “I’m so sorry if I was ever one of the reasons you felt wrong or – broken,” she hiccupped.

“No, Mom, it’s – it wasn’t ever a problem you caused, and it wasn’t your fault,” Shinichi interrupted. “Logically, I know that Kaito, Hattori, everyone in the community – they’re right, the problem isn’t with me, it’s just…hard to remember sometimes,” he continued quietly. “And some of the things you were saying to Kaito just…hit on a lot of my insecurities. I am sorry I yelled – ” 

“No, Shin-chan, please don’t apologize,” she broke in. “We love you just the way you are, and we should never have said anything to make you doubt that.” She opened her arms and Shinichi threw himself into the hug. His father joined in, and Kaito smiled from his spot on the couch. He was just happy the Kudos had seen sense and shown their son the love and acceptance he deserved; the best birthday present they could have given him.


End file.
